Specialist Psychologist Arzu Beyribey from Memorial Bahçelievler Hospital gave information about earthquake psychology. Specialist Psychologist Arzu Beyribey said that the reactions of people after the earthquake can vary according to the severity of the disaster, the personal characteristics of the individuals, the type of trauma, whether they were alone or with someone at the time, how long they were under the pressure of this situation, their past experiences, and their social support possibilities. During an earthquake, the person automatically evaluates the situation and thinks about how to protect himself and his relatives. He is trying to decide on one of his -fight or flight-reactions in the face of stress. The body goes into defense, and the heart rate, pulse and breathing rate increase. Sweating and nausea may occur. After the earthquake is over and the person can go to a safe area, these symptoms gradually return to normal.” he said.
Specialist Psychologist Arzu Beyribey stated that after this social event, not only the people who were primarily affected by the earthquake, but also the whole public are exposed to this stress, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can occur. Uncontrollable thoughts are a mental distress caused by the repetition of the event in the mind and body. This event may be abuse, war, natural disaster, etc. situations may occur. The person may show symptoms such as re-experiencing the symptoms experienced during the event, avoiding the environment and people, and being overstimulated. said.
The aid planned after the earthquake is usually aimed at saving lives, treating physical injuries, providing shelter and programming infrastructure services, and it is often late to support efforts, as there is a more complex and long-term process at the point of determining the psychological effects and starting treatment on the subject. Expert Psychologist Arzu Beyribey said that there are 3 time periods after the earthquake. The time zones are:
“Shock: In the face of this heavy experience, the person experiences shock, cannot make sense of his wounds and situation, and the perception of place/time/space becomes confused. May experience loss of consciousness. The person tries to protect himself by alienating from the situation. While some people become unresponsive by freezing, some people may show panic reactions.
“Passive Period: The person is open to feedback from the environment, but is in a passive position. Although it tries to respond to the support efforts coming from its environment, its power to participate in cooperation is still insufficient. It is as if the person has returned to the dependent period of a child.
“Re-Adaptation: The individual's anxiety and excitement have increased, he is in a trigger state that repeats the trauma he has experienced many times in his mind, and can overreact even to small sound and moving stimuli. Brain, body and spiritually, it needs time to return to its old life and to calm down.”
Specialist Psychologist Arzu Beyribey stated that after the earthquake, people can experience loss of appetite, sleep problems, anxiety problems, anger, sadness, and grief with varying variability, and said, “As psychosomatic symptoms, they can give physical reactions such as head, chest, stomach pain, nausea, and shortness of breath. With the feeling of guilt, they can close themselves to daily work and communication with their environment. They may become more questioning themselves on concepts such as death and the meaning of life.
Specialist Psychologist Arzu Beyribey said that the situation people live in is not easy at all and said, “They have to experience a series of severe situations that continue with anxiety, grief, the pain of the loss of loved ones, thoughts that come to their minds that they are not safe, and accusations against themselves along with losses. Depending on the severity, sudden and unexpected nature of the disaster, and the rate of death and destruction, its effects may increase, and specific phobias, anxiety and psychosomatic disorders may accompany the person with psychological effects ranging from 1 to 8 years. used the phrases.
Among the coping strategies; Stating that in problem-focused coping there are efforts to control and change the stressful situation, in emotion-focused coping, there are efforts to regulate the emotions that are caused by stress and that make the person uneasy, Specialist Psychologist Arzu Beyribey said the following as the treatment process:
“To get over the first shock, the person should give time to himself and his surroundings, and be respected for grieving. The disaster is a very difficult experience and since it is not possible to expect a return to the old life immediately, the person who does not want to talk should not be forced into it. People who want to share should be supported in a way that makes them feel that they are with them.
Individuals' beliefs that they can get through this difficult period with time and patience, especially with effort, should be supported, and after the trauma, avoidance, denial, distance from the problem, self/others blame etc. should be supported. Care should be taken in case they use useless strategies.
In this process, it should be considered to make sense of the problems that are in the head, to apply for the support of clinical psychologists in the issues of insomnia, anxiety, anger and guilt, and the methods of coping with trauma should be planned according to the individual.
It is also important that this process is not long enough to make the person's spiritual, social and physical life more difficult. The person should analyze his material and moral needs, be open to providing support from the necessary places and should not remain passive. Because it is a requirement of being human that everyone supports each other in these times.
The wounds should be patiently given time to heal. While accepting this destruction that many people experience at the same time, the belief that life can be continued by providing the psychological well-being from the place where they left off should be instilled, and the effort of adaptation support should be both cognitive and emotional.
For the next process, since there is no measure that can be taken to prevent earthquakes today, people's making decisions about what to do before, during and after a possible earthquake, thanks to education, can reduce their anxiety by making them feel that they have a bit of control over the situation.”